This invention relates generally to the field of connector blocks used in the telephone industry, and more particularly to an improved block of quick-clip terminal type having means for temporarily retaining the ends of unattached conductors in predetermined location ready for final seating using a known wire installation tool adapted for the purpose.
In the traditional telephone connector block, it is common to attach the ends of telephone subscriber circuits by engaging the bare ends of the conductors by wrapping them about corresponding pins using a wire wrap tool. More recently developed blocks have replaced at least some of the wire wrap pins with so-called insulation displacement quick-clip terminals in which the end of a conductor is forced between opposing terminal members defining a slot using a special tool for this purpose. The tool also cuts the conductor during the seating operation to proper length.
When handling a large number of such conductors on a single block, typically, one hundred subscriber pairs, it is convenient to first position all of the ends of the conductors at the open ends of the corresponding quick clip terminals, and thereafter, to seat the conductors in serial fashion. This procedure has been facilitated by the provision of means for holding the ends of the conductors so that they do not slip from position, as described in pending application Ser. No. 896,119 of 8/13/86 said application being assigned to the same assignee as the present application. However, the means disclosed in this application is not applicable to telephone blocks of all configurations, principally because of the direction of appearance of the conductors relative to the axis of the quick-clip connectors to be engaged.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,512,622 granted to William Carney, et al., and assigned to the same assignee as the present application, discloses a telephone connector block in which the incoming subscriber lines, once separated from the incoming cable, are secured upon wire wrap pins. When these pins are replaced by quick-clip terminals to facilitate faster installation time, there arises the need for a temporary retention means for holding the subscriber conductors until they can be seated. In order to use a known installation tool for this purpose, the quick-clip terminals must be positioned in a particular mutually spaced arrangement which does not permit utilization of the retention means disclosed in the above-mentioned patent application.